This invention pertains to computer systems and other information handling systems and, more particularly, to a resilient foot that provides shock protection for a disk drive or other computer system component.
Hard disk drives are highly susceptible to shock induced damage. Damage due to shock is particularly problematic when the disk drive is removed from the computer system. For example, removing a disk drive from a "drive bay" in a computer system and placing it on a horizontal surface, such as a table, can produce a shock in excess of 150 g's with a duration of 2 to 3 ms, which can cause damage to the drive.
Obviously, the level of shock protection built into the drive's carrier, the speed at which the drive strikes the horizontal surface, and the hardness of that surface are all factors that will determine the resulting shock and damage to the drive.
The prior art solution to this problem is to use injection molded shock absorbing feet, which are attached to the underside of the drive's carrier using an adhesive. These injection molded feet will absorb some of the shock that results when the drive is placed on a hard surface. However, injection molded, shock absorbing feet are expensive and can cost in the range of $0.20 per part. Furthermore, the use of an adhesive to attach the feet to the carrier is problematic in the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, the invention described below includes an elastomeric or polymeric shock foot that is extruded, rather than injection molded. The extrusion process not only lowers the cost of each part from approximately $0.20 to only $0.01 per part, but the tooling cost (when compared to injection molding) is also reduced by 75% or more. The reduction in the piece part price is even more significant when one considers that four shock absorbing feet are typically used underneath each disk drive carrier. Furthermore, the invention uses an attaching tab that is inserted through a central hole in each foot to attach the foot to the drive carrier, thereby eliminating the adhesive problem associated with the prior art injection molded parts.